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Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Aoife Hanna

King Charles wax statue revealed in Paris and fans aren't impressed by the 'awful' creation

His Majesty, King Charles III spends time visiting and speaking to members of the Sudanese community to bear witness to their testimonies of the Darfur conflict and to hear about their lives, in Sudan and now in the UK on March 15, 2023 in London, England. The King was shown photographs, drawings and objects brought from Sudan. 2023 marks a year of activity by the Sudanese community to mark the start of the conflict, and atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. His Majesty will met Sudanese women who decorate pieces of fabric to create a giant toub (traditional Sudanese dress); an empowerment and peacebuilding project which aims to bring the UK Sudanese community together as a visual representation of unity and solidarity. The King was accompanied by Amouna (not pictured), a survivor of the conflict in Darfur.

The King Charles wax statue, which was unveiled in Paris, has garnered a lot of attention online - but not necessarily the positive kind. The statue was displayed at the Grévin Museum in Paris's Grands Boulevards ahead of the King's official visit to France - which has subsequently been canceled.


(Image credit: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images AND Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images)

As the countdown to King Charles's Coronation day continues, the weight of the many honors before him is undeniably large. Being a living historical figure is no mean feat and comes with all sorts of unusual experiences - including people creating likenesses of you.

The latest likeness that's sparked a lot of conversation online is the monarch's waxwork, which has been unveiled in the French capital. This chat leans more on the hilarious side as people have reacted somewhat harshly.

(Image credit: Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP/ Getty Images)

"Did they start with an old George W. Bush statue?" joked one Twitter user. "Dear God they're horrific," added another - in reference to both the King Charles wax statue and the waxwork of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

One user even tweeted, "Are they waxworks of actors playing the Royals?"

Of course, as history has proven, getting the likeness of a well-known face right can be a challenge for even the most experienced artists. 

(Image credit: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Take the bronze Cristiano Ronaldo statue created by Emanuel Santos, which became an overnight meme. Or the statue in tribute to the one and only Hollywood legend Lucille Ball in her New York hometown of Celoron - which Time reports was dubbed 'Scary Lucy' by locals.

Challenging as it may be, immortalizing famous figures in stone, marble, bronze, or whatever medium you choose is an art as old as time. There's one individual, however, who's become synonymous with wax reproductions - Madam Tussaud.

"I think they need Madame Tussaud back," tweeted one observer of the King Charles Wax statue, referencing the famous French wax sculptor, born in 1761. She became renowned as the maker of wax models of many prominent victims of the French revolution - before eventually settling in the UK and founding Madam Tussauds in 1835.

(Image credit: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)

Speaking of, this isn't the first time King Charles wax statue has been the source of media attention as back in October 2022, per BBC News, Just Stop Oil protesters threw pies in the face of his waxwork in Madam Tussauds in London.

At the time of writing, no pies have been thrown at the King Charles wax statue in Paris.

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